While it's not official yet, all signs point toward veteran backup Geno Smith taking the reins as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.
On Thursday, head coach Pete Carroll declared Smith the starter for the Seahawks' final preseason game, and he wasn't exactly shy in suggesting that Smith has been in pole position -- ahead of offseason acquisition Drew Lock -- for the starting job throughout training camp.
“Geno has been the number-one guy the whole time," Carroll said. "He’s held onto it."
For Smith, the chance at redemption has been a long time coming after early-career struggles as Jets starter.
The former second-round draft pick was pressed into starting duty with Gang Green sooner than was originally planned, when then-Jets starter Mark Sanchez went down with an untimely injury.
Smith, who was raw, unprepared, and poorly coached, predictably flailed both on the field and as a leader in the clubhouse in two years as Jets starter.
Fair or not, he never got another opportunity to start, bouncing around to the Giants, Chargers, and, finally, the Seahawks.
By the time he arrived in Seattle, with another Jets castaway in Carroll, Smith was a different player and person. He had served as understudy to three future Hall of Famers, and he no doubt came to understand the game better, as many signal-callers do with the benefit of age and wisdom.
Last season, he was surprisingly competent in limited action, completing 68% of his passes with five touchdowns and one interception, while compiling a 103.00 passer rating. The Seahawks went 1-3 in his appearances and 1-2 in his starts, but all of those games came against above-average defenses -- the Rams, Steelers, Saints and Jaguars.
Smith's apparent improvement from outright bust to competent backup and perhaps even low- or mid-tier starter was not missed by at least one quarterback guru.
Chris Simms of NBC Sports, for one, raved about Smith earlier this month:
The Smith-Lock QB competition, understandably, has been the butt of more than a few jokes leading up to, and throughout, training camp. Neither guy has exactly distinguished himself to this point in their respective careers.
Some Seahawks fans have been clamoring for Lock to get the nod, since he is younger and has impressive raw tools. There's some logic to this, since Smith is presumably a finished product and Lock still has some room to grow.
Interestingly, they share similar career backgrounds. Both players are former second-round draft picks with apparent tools but also obvious limitations. They both started with defensive-minded head coaches and saw upheaval on their offensive coaching staffs at critical early junctures in their pro careers.
In any event, Lock appears to be following Smith's early-career journey from starter to backup, while Geno will finally get a second chance to prove himself as a starter.
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